Restrooms, ADA compliance rack up costs

Grafton Hills residents split on city expenditure

By Jill Moon - jmoon@civitasmedia.com

GRAFTON — Residents who live near Red Hawk Park will meet Saturday to discuss the cost and installation of permanent bathrooms.

At least 60 Grafton Hills residents oppose the estimated $96,000 plan, which also would include Americans with Disabilities Act-related improvements. More than half the project’s money — about $70,000 —would come from tax increment financing (TIF) funds. The rest would require approval of a supplemental appropriations budget by the city council.

One of the residents, Bernie Hettinger, called the expenditure “wasteful.”

Hettinger received a flier Tuesday announcing a public residential informational meeting scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at Red Hawk Park’s pavilion. People will hear a presentation regarding the proposal. The plan includes some parking area construction, sidewalks, electric and water service, sanitary sewer connection, restroom site preparations and the restroom building. Currently the city leases a portable toilet for the park.

“There’s money in the budget, but not enough to pay for the bathrooms, ramp and sidewalk for handicap accessibility,” said Alderman Jerry Bauersachs, who lives in Grafton Hills and is spearheading the effort along with the parks committee. “I went and asked the city council to give us $35,000.”

“We can’t spend the money unless it’s approved, and it’s tentatively approved,” Bauersachs said to the Telegraph. “The city council can approve it, but not until they do a supplemental appropriations budget; any major change, such as $35,000, requires doing a supplemental budget, posting for 30 days and then taking formal action. But they are not doing it until the bid comes in, in case it’s lower. We still want input from the community.”

Bauersachs acknowledged the petition that was submitted last spring.

“I gave fliers to all the residents in Grafton Hills about the informational meeting. We’re going to talk about handicap parking, playground equipment that’s handicap-accessible, the same with the restrooms and future plans for the park,” he said. “We want to put a nature walk in there, with flowers, trees and we’re going to share the plan. This will be a four-year project.”

The committee planned to use TIF funds for most of the project, yet the ADA standard restrooms, sidewalks and parking increased the estimated costs, Bauersachs explained.

“We got an estimate from our engineer; once we get the bids back, we’ll know exactly what it will cost,” he said. “The engineer has been instructed to go out for bid on the bathrooms, handicap sidewalks, which has required specifications, and handicap parking. “

The Red Hawk Park plan includes one Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant parking space and one standard parking space. Grafton Elementary School will be the site for more parking as needed at the city park, Bauersachs noted.

“Part of what we’re trying to do is bring all the parking lots throughout the city — and we want to make Red Hawk Park — accessible to handicap, and the playground equipment, as well as parking,” Bauersachs said. “Cleaning will be a problem, and we understand that, but we’re willing to deal with that and do whatever needs done, hire additional or make sure our staff knows what we expect in keeping those bathrooms clean. “

To date, the city has received no complaints about the lack of Americans with Disabilities Act accommodations, but the city engineer expects the city to become compliant, Bauersachs said.

“He said we have to have a plan to address handicap situations throughout the city; we not only have one, but are going to implement that plan,” he recounted. “We don’t want to discriminate against anyone with a physical disability or anyone else.”

The city’s public works employees have cleaned gravel off of existing Americans with Disabilities Act parking spaces, of which asphalt had been covered up. The city awarded bids for a pair of Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant parking spaces by The Loading Dock restaurant and bar, as well as a space on East Main Street, near the intersection of Illinois routes 3 and 100. The Illinois Department of Transportation is re-striping and/or improving all of the crosswalks at the intersection. Five of 10 new parking signs are in; some signs were ordered after the improvements were underway.

“We are doing handicap parking across from the Grafton Winery,” Bauersachs said. “We had spread gravel on top of the asphalt and cleaned the gravel off, but the signs were removed. So we must put new signs up there.”

The nearby Hawg Pit BBQ Barn also has two Americans with Disabilities Act parking spaces, also where signs were removed.

The city’s engineer submitted a report to the state of Illinois to bring parking into compliance at the Grafton Harbor marina.